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Israel, Ukraine expand hospital education centers to new cities

New centers in Chernivtsi and Bila Tserkva will serve about 200,000 children, providing classrooms, libraries and support during treatment in medical centers.

Children are taken care of in a bomb shelter underneath a kindergarten during an air raid siren alert, on March 4, 2026 in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. Photo by Martyn Aim/Getty Images.
Children are cared for in a bomb shelter underneath a kindergarten during an air raid siren alert in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on March 4, 2026. Photo by Martyn Aim/Getty Images.

Israel is partnering with Ukraine to expand hospital-based education centers to the cities of Chernivtsi, in the European country’s southwest, and Bila Tserkva, in its central region, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The initiative, carried out in cooperation with the Israeli government, is expected to serve approximately 200,000 children, aiming to ensure continuity of education for hospitalized youth.

Further details on the project were published in Ukrainian media.

The program is based on an Israeli model that integrates schooling into pediatric medical care, allowing children undergoing long-term treatment to continue their studies in a structured environment.

Each center is set to include a modern classroom, children’s library, creative spaces for psychological support and advanced technological equipment, according to details reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Israeli embassy in Kyiv.

The project includes training for Ukrainian teachers and medical staff, with Israeli organizations sharing expertise developed over years of operating similar programs across dozens of hospitals.

The first such center opened in Odesa in 2023. Additional sites in other regions of Ukraine are under consideration as part of a broader expansion effort, officials said.

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